UK Prisoners Abroad

Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are in prisons outside the United Kingdom. [28600]

Mr. Bradshaw:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mr. Lazarowicz) on 16 January 2002, Official Report, column 306W.

Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to extend financial assistance to families visiting relatives in prison abroad. [28514]

Mr. Bradshaw:
The FCO has no plans to extend financial assistance to families visiting relatives in prison abroad. However, consular staff overseas can and do help to arrange family visits to prisoners detained abroad.

Falkland Islands

Mr. Wray:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings there have been with Argentine officials over the future of the Falkland Islands. [28345]

Mr. MacShane:
The British Government have held no recent meetings with Argentina about the future status of the islands. We remain committed to the Falkland islanders' right to determine their own future and will not consider a change in the status of the islands unless they wish it. In all our dealings with Argentina we are clear that sovereignty over the Falklands is not open to negotiation.

Mr. Wray:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. [28347]

Mr. MacShane:
The Falkland Islands are British. There will be no change in the status of the islands unless that is the wish of the islands themselves.

22 Jan 2002 : Column 768W

Mr. Wray:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the circumstances are under which an Argentine national is able to settle on the Falkland Islands. [28346]

Mr. MacShane:
The grant of permission to reside in the Falkland Islands is governed by the Falkland Islands' Immigration Ordinance 1999 and all persons, including British citizens, (who do not have Falkland Islands' status), require such permission to be able lawfully to reside in the Falkland Islands. The ordinance does not impose any special restrictions on the residence of Argentine citizens.

Colombia

Harry Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to support the full implementation of the UN recommendations on human rights to the Colombian Government before the next session of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights in March; and if he will make a statement. [29225]

Mr. MacShane:
We have a regular, continuing dialogue with the Colombian Government about the human rights situation in Colombia, including the implementation of UN recommendations. I had comprehensive discussions about human rights during my visit to Colombia in October last year. The Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Peter Hain), plans to chair the regular NGO forum prior to the commission on Human Rights (CHR). NGOs will be invited to discuss FCO priorities, including Colombia, ahead of the CHR meeting in Geneva.

We strongly support the work of the UN in Colombia. Since March 2000, we have already given more than £250,000 to support the work of the UN Human Rights Office (UNHRO) there, which helped the UN to open a new office in Cali at the end of last year, something which has been particularly welcomed by NGOs. I am pleased to announce today that we have committed a further £120,000 to the UNHRO in Colombia so that it can continue its good work.

Harry Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Government will ensure that aid provided through the recently agreed EU aid package in support of the Colombian peace process is not diverted to illegally armed people; and if he will make a statement. [29226]

Mr. MacShane:
The UK, like other EU member states, has stressed to the European Commission in Brussels that EU technical assistance to Colombia must be transparent and be channelled where possible through reputable international and local NGOs working in Colombia. British embassy officials have made the same point to Commission representatives in Bogotá. We particularly welcome the fact that the Commission has recently appointed a representative to Barrancabermeja to oversee the delivery of EU aid to the Magdalena Medio region.

Indonesia

Tony Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he is making about the reported persecution of Christians in Indonesia. [28338]

22 Jan 2002 : Column 769W

Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to encourage a reduction in the level of sectarian violence in Indonesia. [28924]

Mr. Bradshaw:
The UK's message to the Indonesian Government is clear and consistent: a long-term solution to regional conflicts can be achieved only through political negotiation and consultation with the people. Together with our European partners we are in regular, top-level dialogue with the Indonesian Government, and urge them to maintain law and order and promote reconciliation in areas of conflict. The most recent direct contact was when our chargé d'affaires in Jakarta called on Manuel Kaisiepo, the Minister for Eastern Indonesia, on 29 November 2001. I myself raised the issue with Vice-President Haz during my visit to Jakarta last August.

Iraq

Mr. Wray:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last United Nations weapons inspections in Iraq were made; and what assessment he has made of whether Iraq has acquired weapons of mass destruction. [28893]

Mr. Bradshaw:
The last UN inspection team left Iraq on 13 December 1998. There have been no independent weapons inspections since then.

In the absence of any independent inspections, we cannot make any categorical assessment of current Iraqi capabilities. We do, however, judge that since 1999 Iraq has pressed ahead with its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Ancram:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his office last had communications with the Libyan authorities concerning the situation in Zimbabwe. [29290]

Mr. Straw:
My Department has not discussed the situation in Zimbabwe with the Libyan authorities.

Mr. Ancram:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last spoke to the Commonwealth Secretary-General concerning the situation in Zimbabwe. [29288]

Mr. Straw:
I last discussed Zimbabwe with the Commonwealth Secretary General at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting on 20 December. I expect to discuss Zimbabwe with him again in the run-up to the next CMAG meeting on 30 January.

Mr. Ancram:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last spoke to the Zimbabwean High Commissioner concerning the situation in that country. [29291]

Mr. Straw:
I have not formally spoken to the Zimbabwean High Commissioner about the situation in his country.

Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the action the (a) UK, (b) Commonwealth, (c) EU and (d) United Nations are taking to ensure free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. [29324]

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Mr. Bradshaw:
On 11 January, the EU insisted on invitations to, and accreditation of, international election observers at least six weeks before Zimbabwe's 9 March Presidential election. We are discussing with our European Union partners and others what norms and standards to adopt for judging the electoral process in Zimbabwe.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group said on 20 December 2001 that it expects Commonwealth election observers to be invited and accredited well before the election.

On 15 January, the UN Secretary General called for free and fair elections monitored by the international community.

US/UK Agreements

Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what his policy is in respect of the sharing with the US Government of intercept material obtained by GCHQ; and in what circumstances it is deemed inappropriate to share such information for reasons of national security; [28629]

(2) if he will make a statement on the status and importance of the UK/USA Agreement 1948. [28628]

Mr. Straw:
It has been the long-standing practice of this and previous Governments not to comment on the detail of confidential arrangements which might exist between the UK and the US for the UK's national security.

Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many extant US/UK agreements there are the existence of which has not been made public; and if he will make a statement. [28741]

Mr. Straw:
All treaties between the UK and US are published and registered with the UN Secretary General. There are however numerous other forms of agreement between the UK and the US, where there is no obligation to publish. Many of these will be in the public domain. The information needed to compile a list of these is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.